Machine for forming tablets



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet I.

P. s. HBRETH. MACHINE FOR FORMING TABLETS. No. 527,980. Patented Oct. 23. 1894.:

(No Model.) V 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. A F. S. HERETH.

MACHINE FOR FORMING TABLETS. No. 527,980. Patented Oct. 23,1894,

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riNo Model.) 3 sheets-sheen 3.

P. s. HBR'ETH. MACHINE FOR FORMING TABLETS.

No. 527,980. Patented Oct. 23, 1894.

NITED STATEs FRANK S. HERETH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MACHINE FOR FORMING TABLETS.

SBEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Fatent No. 527,980, dated October 23, 1894. Application filed April 9, 1894- Serial No. 506.926- (N model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known, that I, FRANK S. HERETH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machines for Forming Tablets, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in machines for forming tablets, or the like, by compression out of more or less dry granular or pulverulent material.

The machine is intended more especially for use in making medicinal tablets, and my object is to provide an improved construction which shall render the machine quick, accurate and positive in its action, readily adj ustable, and particularly strong and durable.

In the drawings-Figure 1 is a broken view of my improved machine partly in front elevation and partly in section, the section being on line 1 of Fig. 2; Fig.2, a section taken on line 2 of Fig. 1, and viewed in the direction ofthe arrow; Fig, 3, a detail view of shakefeed mechanism; Fig. 4, a top plan view of a removable die-block holding plate; Fig. 5, a similar View of a shelf forming part of the main frame; Fig. 6, adetail View of the shakefeed and discharge mechanism; and Fig. 7, a

broken section on line 7 of Fig. 1.

A is a base, and B a frame bolted or otherwise fastened upon the base and carrying all the working parts of the machine. J ournaled in bearing 25 t at the top of the frame is adrive shaft O, carrying at one end fast and loose power pulleys G, and provided between the said bearings with a fly-wheel G On the side of the frame B isa shelf ordie block suppor t B, having a smooth horizontal upper surface, and provided with a sockets, bolt openings 8 s, and an opening 8 in the relative positions shown.

D is a removable plate which fits upon the shelf B and has an opening r which registers with the socketsand bolt openings r 7" which register with the opening 5'. In the plate D to register with the opening 8 in the shelf, is an opening 0*, enlarged at the under side of the plate to afford an annular shoulder r Fitting the opening 1" is a removabledieblock D, provided with a central opening or die-chamber D and an annular flange D at i with a yoke E by means of a set screw g portion of the die fits exactly the die chamber cams G and G which it fits into the enlarged part of the opening '1" against the shoulder r When the dieblook D is inserted into the opening 1' and the plate D is placed upon the shelf B, the parts are secured in rigid relation by bolts passing through bolt holes 7" s, and the diecharnber coincides at its center with the center of the opening 3 through the shelf.

On the shaft 0 is an eccentric E turning in a ring E, which is provided at its lower side Above and in line with the die-chamber D is a vertically reciprocating bar or die holder E having a socket in its upper end to receive the lower end of a link E to which it is pivotally secured by means of a pin (1. The link F. has athreaded shank g, which passes through an opening g cross ing the recess q of theyoke E In the yokerecess is an adjusting nut g which engages the threaded shank q, and on the shank below the yoke is a jam-nut 7 The bar E may be raised and lowered to a limited extent, with relation to the eccentric,

end of the bar E is a socket q to receive a removable die F. When inserted in the socket g the die is secured rigidly in place The lower end D and in the rotation of the eccentric the die is reciprocated into and out of the diechamber.

On the shaft 0 is a rotary cam-block G, formed with two peripheral adjacent lying G is a yoke provided with a longitudinally extending slotn at each side,

which fits over the shaft, and a threaded opening it in its lower end to receive the threaded end of a vertically reciprocal bar G which extends through guides B on the main frame. Journaled in the upper end of the yoke G above the cam block G, is a roller n which bears against and rides upon the cam G; and journaled in the yoke below the lever.

cam-block G isa roller 07. bearing against the cam G Cored through the frame B is an opening B, and extending through said opening is a lever-Gr fulcrumed between its ends in the opening upon a pin m. The lever G is provided at one end with an opening m through it, at which it fits loosely over the lower end portion m of the bar G The part m of the bar is threaded and carries adjusting and jam-nuts m above the lever, and adjusting and jam-nuts m below the The lever at its end m is beveled at its upper and lower sides to fit loosely in and engage a socket m in a vertically reciprocal bar or die-holder G The bar G is squared and fits and slides in a squared guide socket formed in the face of a projection B, on the main frame, and in a cap-plate p bolted thereon. Extending through a threaded 0 pening 25 through the base portion of the frame B, is a set-screw H below and in line with the bar G The set-screw H is provided with a hand-wheel H and a jam-nut H In the upper end of the bar G is a socket m to receive a removable die F which is held in place in the socket by means of a set screw m The die F fits exactly the die-chamber D and extends in at the lower end of the latter. In the rotation of the cam-block G, the cam G raises the roller n yoke and bar G The lower nuts m are so adjusted, with relation to the other parts, that in the rise of the bar G they engage the lever G and swing it on its fulcrum m to lower the bar G to the set screw H. In the further rotation of the cam-block G, the cam G2 presses the roller n yoke and bar G downward, the nuts m being adjusted to engage and swing the lever G to raise the bar (l until the die F at its upper end reaches the plane of the upper surface of the die-block D.

I is a hopper-bottomed receptacle fitting into a bracket or supporting-collar 1 near the top of the machine. On the upper surface of the plate D, is a plate K, having a smooth under face; a boss Z on its upper side through which extends a bolt opening Z abifurcated projection presenting a socket l a-recessed and beveled edge-portion Z and an inclined tubular projection Z through which and the body-portion of the plate extends an inclined feed-passage F. The plate K is held pivotally in place upon the plate D by means of a bolt k passing through the opening Z, openingr in the plate D, and socket s in the shelf B. The belt has a head at its upper end, and is threaded along its lower end portion to receive a nut k Confined between the nut 70 and under surface of the shelf is a spring k which tends to draw down the bolt and press the plate K yieldingly upon the plate D. Extending from an opening in the lower end of the receptacle I is a flexible feed-tube I which fits at its opposite end over the tubular projection Z of the plate K. On the end of the shaft 0 is a wheel K having a segmental bearing surface t concentric with the shaft, and cam-projections i in the are of a reduced circle.

K is a lever pivotally mounted between its ends upon a bearing-pin p on the capplate p. At its upper end the lever K carries a roller 1' to engage and ride upon the circumferential faces z 11', of the wheel K, and at its lower end it is reduced to fit the socket Z in the plate K. Fastened at one end to an arm B on the frame B, and at its opposite end to the lower arm of the lever K is a spring K which presses the roller 6 at the upper end of the lever against the peripheral face of the wheel K. In the rotation of the wheel K the roller rides upon the surface 2' and cams i; and turns the lever K and through the latter the plate D on its pivot is in the horizontal plane. While the roller i is at the surface 1' of the wheel the plate K is turned to one side of the die chamber D and when the surface 1; leaves the roller, the lever is actuated by its spring to spring the plate across the die-chamber and cause the feed passage Z to register with the latter. The cams '6' while passing across the roller 2' give a shaking motion to the lever and plate K, whereby the mouth of the feed passage is reciprocated back and forth across the die chamber. In the upper face of the plate D is an inclined recess r and secured to the plate at said recess is a chute L. Below the free end of the chute is a bracket or collarsupport L for a pan or other receptacle L In operation the pulverized or granulated material to be compressed into tablets is poured into the receptacle 1. A die-block is employed having a chamber D of the diameter of the tablets to be made, and dies F F are employed of the proper size to fit the die chamber exactly. The set screw H is adjusted to cause the die F, when the bar G6 is lowered to the set screw, to leave just the space in the die-chamber necessary to contain the exact quantity of material desired for a single tablet; and the nuts m and m are adjusted to lower the bar G to the set-screw H, when the bar G is raised, and raise the die F to the plane of the upper surface of the die-block and plate D, when the bar G is lowered.

The moving parts are so constructed and timed with relation to each other, that, in the rotation of the drive-shaft, when the die E is raised and the die F lowered, the plate K of the shake-feed mechanism, is moved forward and shaken so that the material from the receptacle I passing through the tube 1 is caused to fill the die-chamber, and the plate K is then turned backward out of the way.

The bar E is then moved to plunge the die F downward into the die-chamber and compress the material, between it and the die F, into a tablet. The force of the impact against the material and die F is withstood by the set-screw H. Immediately following the impact, the die F is raised to the position shown in the figures, and the die F is raised to the top of the die-chamberland lowered again. In its rise the die F ejects the tablet'from the die chamber, and just as the said die arrives at the plane of the upper surface of the die-block the plate K is turned to strike the tablet with its edge Z and send it down the chute L to the receptacle L The operation of the machine is continuous and it may be operated at high speed to form tablets very quickly. The shake-feed mechanism, by shaking the tube I and the feeding and discharging plate K, agitates the D in place, the die-block may be quickly removed and replaced with one having a diechamber of different diameter for the formation of tablets of different size and dies of proper size to fit the die-chamber may be quickly placed in the die holders E G The quantity of material for different tablets is regulated by adjusting the set-screw II to raise or lower the die F in the die chamber; and the degree of compression given to the tablets may be regulated by turning the nut g to raise or lower the die-holder E with relation to the yoke E As the dies fit the die chamber exactly, and necessitate great accuracy in the adjustment of the plate D and die-block, I provide the shelf 13 with bolt openings 8' of slightly larger diameter .than, the coincident bolt openings 0" in the plate D. This gives a slight latitude, in the matter of adjustment, desirable owing to the difficulty, which always exists in manufacture, of makingsuch partsfit togetherwith the exactness here necessary. The die-holders E G6 being squared and movable through squared guide openings are prevented from turning on their axes, and in case of wear the cap-plates may be readily tightened to prevent any lateral play of the holders.

My improved machine is constructed with a view to great strength and durability, and great accuracy in the matter of adjustment, and is therefore particularly desirable for the purposes for which it is more especially intended, namely, the manufacture of simple or compounded medicinal tablets.

While I prefer to construct the machine throughout as shown and described, it may be modified in the matter of details of construction without departing from the spirit of my invention as defined by the claims.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a tablet machine, the combination with the main-frame, drive-shaft and upper and lower reciprocal die-holders, of a dieblock-support on the main-frame having a bolt-opening, a die-block on said support, a feed-plate having a bolt-opening, a bolt passing through both said bolt-openings, a spring upon the bolt, operating, with the bolt, to hold the feed-plate pivotally and yieldingly upon the said support, and means connected with the feed plate and actuated from the drive-shaft, to turn and shake the feed-plate upon its pivot, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a tablet machine, the combination with the main frame and drive-shaft, and upper and lower reciprocal die holders, of a die-block support on the main-frame, a plate D removably fastened upon said support containing the die-block D and having a bolt opening 1*, a feed-plate K having a bolt opening Z, a bolt 76 passing through the bolt openings 1" Z, a spring upon the bolt, operating, with the bolt, to hold the plate K pivotally and yieldingly upon the plate D, and means connected with the feed-plate, and actuated from the drive shaft, to turn and shake the feed-plate upon its pivot, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

FRANK S. HERETH. 

